Batch type toasters and batch type ovens have been used for centuries. In recent years there have been many batch type toaster-ovens. Toasters have a nominally vertical structure wherein the bread or other food to be toasted is first lowered to toasting position either manually or automatically, the toasting elements which are initially at room temperature, then heat up slowly to a toasting temperature and during this slow heat-up the food becomes partially dehydrated before the toasting process begins. The toasting (browning) process of the food or bread further dehydrates the food, the degree of dehydration depending heavily on the time required for the browning. If the browning or toasting takes more than 2-3 minutes, the food--particularly bread can be severely dehydrated and the result, if toasting, is a very dry product like Melba toast. Some people prefer such dry, hard, and moisture "free" toast, but the vast majority of users complain that the resulting toast is tasteless and much too dry. Modern toasters have not discovered the means to toast while retaining much of the original moisture in the bread and such foods. One of the main reasons why freshly baked bread with its crusty exterior is so universally appealing is its high degree of retained water. That appeal is quickly lost after a few hours and day-old bread is vastly less appealing because of the much greater loss of moisture. Retained moisture is critically important to taste, texture and flavor of bread, cakes, cookies and similar foods as well as toast.